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Yulieski Gurriel agrees to 5/$47M deal with the Astros

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by rocketpower2, Jul 15, 2016.

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Buck Turgidson Member

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J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yulieski Gurriel may not make <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> debut until mid-August, because of time required to obtain work visa and get ABs in minors. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@MLB</a></p>— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/755045883977150468">July 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The rest of it is noise, this is the important part.

Bregman won't make the trip back to Fresno on Thursday night, I'd about guarantee it.

#181 Buck Turgidson, Jul 18, 2016

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The risks are obvious but we aren't talking about a crippling amount of money. It's basically $10M/yr. If you figure market value is ~$10M/WAR, he needs to put up 4.7 WAR over 4.5 seasons to justify his contract. Chris Johnson, Pablo Sandoval, and Pedro Avarez are 3 guys who have been near-everyday 3B over the last 4.5 seasons, they have put up 3, 5.5, and 6.0 WAR over that time. He doesn't need to be that good to be a worthwhile signing.

#182 Snake Diggit, Jul 18, 2016
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The same talking heads who praise the Yankees signing an OTH Beltran or continue to extol the accomplishments of a 40 year old Papi... Of course they have to be really skeptical about what the Astros are doing signing a 32 year old.

#183 Nick, Jul 18, 2016
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Agreed, this should not be the time to be underestimating a baseball player due to their age. Beltran, Ortiz, Beltre, He hasn't played in a while but he has a super quick bat speed which will obviously diminish over time but I don't see why he can't be effective till at least 35 given the shape he is in. The players that fade in their 30's are usually bigger players that I have to fight to keep weight off (Cabrera, Pujols). Ortiz is an anomaly but still has maintained his bat speed and ability to drive the ball (roids?)

#184 jakedasnake, Jul 18, 2016
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Nick said: ↑

The same talking heads who praise the Yankees signing an OTH Beltran or continue to extol the accomplishments of a 40 year old Papi... Of course they have to be really skeptical about what the Astros are doing signing a 32 year old.
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I suggest reading this SI.COM analysis of it... much more even handed:

http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/07/17/houston-astros-sign-yulieski-gurriel-cuba

CLIFF CORCORAN said:

As for the contract, it is by far the largest of any current Astros player and will take Gurriel through his age 36 season, but it also has an average annual value below $10 million (the payout schedule has not yet been made public). So, it is a large gamble within the context of the Astros’ roster, but it is not a contract that will rob Luhnow of any flexibility going forward. If anything, it is a gamble that was made possible Luhnow’s ability to build a budget-price contender around homegrown stars such as Altuve, Correa and George Springer, who are making a combined $4.54 million this season.

The Astros may have gotten off to a slow start this season, but since May 24 they have been the best team in baseball, going 32–14 (.696) with an MLB-leading +66 run differential. Now they have added arguably the game’s top international talent and intend to have him and one of the game’s top prospects (again) in their lineup in a matter of weeks. As confusing as the Gurriel addition may be on its face, I’m going to trust that the Astros know what they’re doing.
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#185 eric.81, Jul 18, 2016
Buck Turgidson Member

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eric.81 said: ↑

[SI]I’m going to trust that the Astros know what they’re doing.
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That's so goddam crazy it just might work.

#186 Buck Turgidson, Jul 18, 2016
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Our lineup is going to be freaking stacked. We better not lose anymore 1-0 ballgames!

#187 rezdawg, Jul 18, 2016

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J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yulieski Gurriel may not make <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> debut until mid-August, because of time required to obtain work visa and get ABs in minors. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@MLB</a></p>— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/755045883977150468">July 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Buster: It was interesting to me on two points. 1) Their infield is seemingly filled. Bregman, Altuve, Correa - everyone around baseball asked what does it mean for those infielders & 2) I wonder about the money spent on a 32-year old, who may not have an impact until next year when he's 33 and given the high number of failures of players from Cuba, it continues to surprise me the money spent on these free agents.

Crasnick: I was surprised too. You hope he turns out better than Héctor Olivera. To sign a guy who's over 30 from Cuba, that's a risk. By all accounts, good guy, good player but if you're the Astros, don't you really want pitching? You have Carlos Correa & Jose Altuve, Bregman looks like he can play 3rd, maybe LF but you're overloading in certain places and eventually gets tough to find spots for these guys. If you're DHing them, is that really the best use of their skills & time? A little puzzled by it. It it a lot of money but they obviously feel he's a good player & will have an impact. If I'm an Astros fan or Astros person, I'd like to see them go out & get more pitching.

Buster: It'll be interesting to see the next couple of winters, if they wind up being outbid by $5M-$10M on a starting pitcher, it's gonna make me scratch my head. When you look at the performances of players from Cuba, the older guys, throw Yasmany Tomás in there - some evaluators are writing him off as a bust, Alex Guerrero, Puig has struggled of late, there are questions in front offices about the returns based on investments. We'll see. I wish the best to him.
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By this logic, every pitcher who comes out of Alvin, TX should be the best power pitcher in league history. They also conveniently didn't mention that the contract is front-loaded AND it gives them in-roads on Lourdes Jr.

SMH.

#188 RockFanFirst, Jul 18, 2016
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I love the deal to be honest the guy has been an elite player for almost a decade and im not to worried about his age... By the time the deal is done we will have so much talent coming thru the system it wont matter

#189 K-Low_4_Prez, Jul 18, 2016
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J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yulieski Gurriel may not make <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> debut until mid-August, because of time required to obtain work visa and get ABs in minors. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@MLB</a></p>— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/755045883977150468">July 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Buster: It was interesting to me on two points. 1) Their infield is seemingly filled. Bregman, Altuve, Correa - everyone around baseball asked what does it mean for those infielders & 2) I wonder about the money spent on a 32-year old, who may not have an impact until next year when he's 33 and given the high number of failures of players from Cuba, it continues to surprise me the money spent on these free agents.

Crasnick: I was surprised too. You hope he turns out better than Héctor Olivera. To sign a guy who's over 30 from Cuba, that's a risk. By all accounts, good guy, good player but if you're the Astros, don't you really want pitching? You have Carlos Correa & Jose Altuve, Bregman looks like he can play 3rd, maybe LF but you're overloading in certain places and eventually gets tough to find spots for these guys. If you're DHing them, is that really the best use of their skills & time? A little puzzled by it. It it a lot of money but they obviously feel he's a good player & will have an impact. If I'm an Astros fan or Astros person, I'd like to see them go out & get more pitching.

Buster: It'll be interesting to see the next couple of winters, if they wind up being outbid by $5M-$10M on a starting pitcher, it's gonna make me scratch my head. When you look at the performances of players from Cuba, the older guys, throw Yasmany Tomás in there - some evaluators are writing him off as a bust, Alex Guerrero, Puig has struggled of late, there are questions in front offices about the returns based on investments. We'll see. I wish the best to him.
Click to expand...

No mention of Abreu huh?

Also Gurriel is a FAR more accomplished player than the ones mentioned in the article. I have no idea how well he will play, and I have questions about his likelihood of success too... but a mediocre exchange between those two "experts" for sure.

#190 Nook, Jul 18, 2016
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Look at contracts around the league. Gurriel is going to cost the Astros 10 & 8 million in his last two seasons when he will be 35 & 36. That's peanuts for a major league player.

By comparison Jon Daniels is paying Shin Shoo Choo like he is Albert Pujols. In the last two years of his contract he will be make 21 & 21 million when he is 37 & 38. His contract expires the same year as Gurriel's contract. That doesn't even account for the contract of Prince Fielder.

Add to the fact that the Astros gave up zero talent for Gurriel and I thank it's a great contract to give to someone who could produce at a near all-star level. And if the Astros are able to sign his brother then that's a major steal.

#191 crash5179, Jul 18, 2016
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J.R. said: ↑

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yulieski Gurriel may not make <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a> debut until mid-August, because of time required to obtain work visa and get ABs in minors. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@MLB</a></p>— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/755045883977150468">July 18, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Buster: It was interesting to me on two points. 1) Their infield is seemingly filled. Bregman, Altuve, Correa - everyone around baseball asked what does it mean for those infielders & 2) I wonder about the money spent on a 32-year old, who may not have an impact until next year when he's 33 and given the high number of failures of players from Cuba, it continues to surprise me the money spent on these free agents.

Crasnick: I was surprised too. You hope he turns out better than Héctor Olivera. To sign a guy who's over 30 from Cuba, that's a risk. By all accounts, good guy, good player but if you're the Astros, don't you really want pitching? You have Carlos Correa & Jose Altuve, Bregman looks like he can play 3rd, maybe LF but you're overloading in certain places and eventually gets tough to find spots for these guys. If you're DHing them, is that really the best use of their skills & time? A little puzzled by it. It it a lot of money but they obviously feel he's a good player & will have an impact. If I'm an Astros fan or Astros person, I'd like to see them go out & get more pitching.

Buster: It'll be interesting to see the next couple of winters, if they wind up being outbid by $5M-$10M on a starting pitcher, it's gonna make me scratch my head. When you look at the performances of players from Cuba, the older guys, throw Yasmany Tomás in there - some evaluators are writing him off as a bust, Alex Guerrero, Puig has struggled of late, there are questions in front offices about the returns based on investments. We'll see. I wish the best to him.
Click to expand...

I get the skepticism if one is thinking along the lines of what we need most vs what we have already in abundance.

But if your thinking more like draft day where your trying to get the best talent available, then this signing makes way more sense.

#192 jim1961, Jul 19, 2016
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Gurriel now showing up on the GCL Astros roster

#193 MrBear1, Jul 19, 2016

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MrBear1 said: ↑

Gurriel now showing up on the GCL Astros roster
Click to expand...

So the supposed Work Visa issues were overblown it seems like. Also, just read the exchange between Olney and Crasnick.....what a joke.

#194 Fyreball, Jul 19, 2016
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Fyreball said: ↑

So the supposed Work Visa issues were overblown it seems like. Also, just read the exchange between Olney and Crasnick.....what a joke.
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What happened?

#195 MrBear1, Jul 19, 2016
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I don't think him showing up on the GCL roster means his visa issues are resolved. I think his presence on the 40 man roster triggered that MLB office to create his profile and stick him there.

#196 Snake Diggit, Jul 19, 2016
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIHIEcij4tx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#houston #telemundo @yunitogurriel @yunigurriel @agentmo1 @rainer14_89</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by Yulieski Gurriel 01 (@el_yuly10) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-21T05:12:36+00:00">Jul 20, 2016 at 10:12pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

No idea what he's saying, but I'm down with him tagging his little brother

#197 awc713, Jul 21, 2016
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crash5179 said: ↑

Look at contracts around the league. Gurriel is going to cost the Astros 10 & 8 million in his last two seasons when he will be 35 & 36. That's peanuts for a major league player.

By comparison Jon Daniels is paying Shin Shoo Choo like he is Albert Pujols. In the last two years of his contract he will be make 21 & 21 million when he is 37 & 38. His contract expires the same year as Gurriel's contract. That doesn't even account for the contract of Prince Fielder.

Add to the fact that the Astros gave up zero talent for Gurriel and I thank it's a great contract to give to someone who could produce at a near all-star level. And if the Astros are able to sign his brother then that's a major steal.
Click to expand...

Ultimately the big difference is that the Rangers scouted Choo and the Astros Gurriel. They gave him a big contract largely on the backs of what they saw at his workout, and their belief of how his numbers will translate. We'll see the fruits soon enough.

#198 Spacemoth, Jul 21, 2016

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How good is his younger brother? Comparison wise.

#199 RasaqBoi, Jul 21, 2016
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From what I can find Lourdes was rated as one old the top 4 players in Cuba and is considered by most to be a top prospect worth a large bonus. Since he is waiting until free agency he will command much more than if he'd signed earlier, although I'm not sure just how much he will cost. A total guess, but I would say he'll get ~$20-30M, be rated as a solid Top 100 prospect in the 50-100 range, and start out in AA. If he signs with Houston as expected, I'd expect him to be moved to the outfield to start out, with the ideal plan that he could be in Houston late next season.

#200 Snake Diggit, Jul 21, 2016

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